Notes

Taxonomic Notes

Paraheptagyia belongs to the Diamesinae tribe Heptagiini – the tribe is austral and well-defined in all stages. However it is not possible yet to distinguish the larvae to genus level with any confidence: too few have been reared and it is unclear which characters are reliable. Note that the ‘distinctive’ collar (occipital margin of the head) apparently is a feature only of final instar larvae.

Ecological Notes

Of seven described species of Paraheptagyia, 5 are from the Andean neotropics, one from Tasmania, another from south-east mainland Australia. Larvae of the mainland Australian species (P. tonnoiri Freeman) live in thin water films alongside waterfalls, or in splash zone of streams.